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Cherokee Candidate Appeals Tulsa Judge’s Ruling

TULSA — A Cherokee Nation man is appealing a decision by a federal judge that bars descendants of the tribe’s freed slaves to vote in a weekend election in which he’s a candidate.

Robin Mayes, a candidate for an at-large tribal council spot, filed his notice of appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Terence Kern had denied Mayes’ initial motion, finding he hadn’t convinced the court his claim could succeed.

A spokeswoman for the Tahlequah, Okla.-based tribe says they’re confident Kern’s decision will be upheld.

For years, an unresolved battle has waged in federal courts over the eligibility of about 3,000 of the slaves’ descendants — known as freedmen — to become citizens of the Cherokee Nation, which has about 330,000 members.